United Nations Day by Rotary club of Phoenix, in collaboration with the University of Mauritius and the United Nations Country Team

The Rotary Club of Phoenix (RC Phoenix), which has a long history of celebrating the United Nations Day, hosted on Thursday 24th of October, a seminar on the Organisation, in collaboration with the United Nations Country Team for Mauritius and Seychelles, and the University of Mauritius. Distinguished guests, academics and students attended the event which was held at the Octave-Wiehe Auditorium at Réduit.

“The Rotary witnessed the dawn of the United Nations, at the end of the Second World War in 1945. And it is with these special ties that we wanted to properly commemorate this organization that has been working for 75 years for the protection of human rights, the provision of humanitarian aid, sustainable development and the guarantee of international law. This one-day seminar highlights the missions, achievements and vision of one of the world’s largest organizations,” claims Robin Appadoo, President of the RC Phoenix.

As the first milestone of the roadmap of the UN@75 celebration is to build partnership, this event responded to that as it is organised to inspire dialogues to collect diverse feed-back, perspectives and creative ideas on what is needed to address emerging risks and opportunities. The message of the United Nations Secretary General was amplified by HE Mrs Christine UMUTONI, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles, during her address that highlights the need of strong partnership between the United Nations, Government, civil societies, private sector and individuals to achieve the real sustainable goals for the Indian Ocean. She mainly stressed the UN SG quote “Our future rests on solidarity. We must repair broken trust. We must reinvigorate our multilateral project. And we must uphold dignity for one and for all.” As an invitation for all counterparts to get involved in the Future We Want.

Three interactive panel discussions were on the agenda for the day:
1. “The United Nations and the post-war order”,
2. “The United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals” and
3. “The United Nations and Climate Change”.
Some eminent speakers took the floor during these workshops, including S.B.C. Servansing, former Permanent Representative of Mauritius to the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and other international organisations; Dr. Manorama Akung, Lecturer at the University of Mauritius; and representatives from United Nations agencies (WHO, UNDP, UNODC, IOM).

In accordance with the statement of Mark Maloney, the new President of Rotary International, who wants to “connect the Rotary to the world, through the ties we have and the goals we share,” the RC Phoenix wanted to mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations by promoting a better understanding of global issues and the objectives of the Organization. “Other activities will be organized on the sidelines of this event, especially with young people, who are the best ambassadors to deliver our messages,” concludes Robin Appadoo

More than 420 people registered for the seminar
We had approximately 370 attendees on the day.